The invention relates to containers, and more specifically to portable substance containers that may be intended to contain liquids and powders, and that may be disposable.
Portable containers are widely used by a variety of industries to store substances and to allow substances to be transported from one location to another. For example, the catering industry uses containers to transport food and beverages, often in large quantities, from preparation or storage areas to an event. The food containers are often disposable and therefore may be thrown away after the event. Therefore, after the event, the food containers do not have to be returned to the caterer or picked up by the caterer.
Many known beverage containers used by caterers, however, are not disposable. Therefore, the caterer must return to the place of the event, after the event ends, to retrieve the emptied beverage containers. Many known disposable beverage containers are either too small for the catered events or not robust enough to contain large amounts of the beverage over a long period of time. The non-robust containers can tip over or buckle under the weight of the beverage. Moreover, many known disposable beverage containers are difficult for the user to fill and/or empty. Therefore, there is a need for a container assembly that may be disposable, may be robust enough to contain large amounts of a substance, easy to operate and/or maintain its shape for a substantial period of time.
The article described herein is a container that may be shipped flat, later assembled, used to store substances such as liquids or powders, and to allow the substances to be transported. The substance container may be manufactured from corrugated packaging and may be disposable. The substance container may be used by catering companies and/or for take-out or for in store dispensing of beverages. The container may also be used to contain substances such as alcohol, soda, water, juices, cooking or motor oil, liquid or powdered chemicals and detergents.
The container includes a body. The body may be insulated, for example, with foil. The body encases a bag which is used to contain the substance. At least a portion of side walls of the body may include a double panel thickness to add strength to the container assembly. A dispensing assembly fits through a first aperture located on the body. A second aperture is located on the body to accommodate a filling assembly. The filling assembly is located near a top of the body, but it does not protrude past a plane represented by a top surface of the body. The container assembly may also include a cavity to contain or receive a cup for the dispensing of beverages and/or to hold accoutrements such as packets of cream and stirrers.
Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be, or will become, apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the following claims.